no taxes,good hospital,mild climate who will stop the rest of chileans of going and wotking on the island?

preventing ecological collapse would be a good thing

Great book, that of "Collapse". An eye opener.

Ecological collapse or regional protectionism? Most of the arguments are made for the latter (not to say protectionism is always bad).

The idea that the island could exist as an independent nation is comical. Apparently the "parliament" hasn't thought this one through very far.

Having been to Easter Island in July 2009, I can corrobate the writer's argumentation. Several other facts I learned while there:
-Rapa Nuians don't pay tax (a concession from the Chilean government to offset the higher cost of goods).
-Only persons with (proven) Rapa Nuian ancestry can own land.
-I was given the figure of max. 50,000 visitors a year.
-Most important point, however, waste management: Glas, cans, plastic, paper garbage gets shipped back to the mainland. This service had been suspended for several months (political issues), but has now been reinstated.
-The problem of water supply is, indeed, a serious one and not solved.
-stray/homeless dogs (hundreds!) everywhere.
What bothered me the most in this tiny paradise, however, was the out and out attitude of the local residents of "raping the tourist" for all he/she is worth.